Jadeja, Kohli fashion historic victory

India held their nerves in a nerve-wrecking run-chase to script a six-wicket victory against Australia in Mohali to go 3-0 up in the series despite a rained out first day.

Murali Vijay chipped in with 24 while Cheteshwar Pujara (28) and Virat Kohli (34) played key innings too. Sachin Tendulkar came out and played a few shots to reach 21 before being needlessly run-out.

However, MS Dhoni (18 not out) and Ravindra Jadeja (8 not out) kept their cool at the end and steered India through to victory.

This was the first time India defeated Australia as many times in a Test series and has to some extent avenged the humiliation of the 4-0 whitewash they were subjected to Down Under. This is also the third time that India have held a 3-0 lead in a series and only the fourth time that they have won three Tests in a series.

Michael Clarke meanwhile joined Ricky Ponting, Allan Border and Kim Hughes as only the fourth captain to lose three Test matches on the trot.

Though the batsmen did a fine job of chasing down 133 in just over a session, India's spinners remained the architects of this victory. Resuming at their overnight score of 75/3, Australia would have back themselevs to force a draw. However, in almost a classic flashback of the disaster in Hyderabad, the Aussies lost as many as five wickets in the session after Ravindra Jadeja and Pragyan Ojha struck twice each while R Ashwin picked up a solitary wicket. Besides his two wickets before lunch, Jadeja stood out for dismissing Aussie skipper Michael Clarke for the fifth time in the series , a rare feat against a batsman of the class of Clarke.

Australia also had a patch of bad luck when the well-set Phil Hughes received a dubious decision from the umpire, allowing Ashwin to pick his only wicket in the first session. Moises Henriques fell to a brilliant return catch by Jadeja while Peter Siddle's intended cameo was brought to an end by Ojha. The spinners had Australia in a twirl in an action-packed first session and at one point it looked like India would walk away with the honours before tea.

However, Australia finally offered some resistance in the form of Brad Haddin and when Mitchell Starc joined him at the crease, the men from Down Under might well have raised their hopes of a miraculous escape. Starc carried on from he missed out in his first innings 99, settling down to grinding the Indian attack yet again. The two carried Australia through to lunch but India were not too concerned at that stage. A cause for concern was to come later.

Haddin and Starc looked positive after lunch but the former was done in by Ashwin, who added to his tally of wickets, firmly nestled as the top wicket-taker in the series. By then,it only looked like a matter of time before Australia were bowled out and India chased down a meagre target. But Xavier Doherty dropped anchor and frustrated the Indians for 18 overs, collecting 44 runs in a stubborn last-wicket stand. Time was running out and the runs had started to come at a fair pace. The Indian fielders had begun to drop their shoulders but Jadeja turned it around again, having Starc caught close-in by Ashwin.

With a little over a session left to score 133, India were left without the services of debut-centurion Shikhar Dhawan. Cheteswar Pujara opened with Murali Vijay and the duo started brissly as the hosts raced away to 30/0 by tea. The openers resumed with the same intensity after the break but Vijay tried one shot too many and was out stumped off Xavier Doherty.

India announced their intentions of a full-on assault when Virat Kohli came in ahead of Sachin Tendulkar at number three. The Delhi batsman was positive from the outset and built another brisk stand with Pujara. India never looked in any doubt of reachin their target and so assured were the young batsmen. who preceeded Tendulkar, that they did not even mind the odd dot balls.

Pujara perished to Lyon after he had added 28 runs for the second wicket with Kohli but by then India were well on the threshold of victory. Tendulkar walked in at 70/2 and started playing his shots without any fuss. The Little Master tried a couple of well timed sweep shots that were cut off but soon got into the groove as India kept cruising towards history.

India were dealt another minor jolt when Kohli tried to chip Siddle over the infield but failed to beat Hughes at short midwicket. Skipper MS Dhoni joined Tendulkar with India still needing 30 runs to win with plenty of time left in the game. However, for some inexplicable reason, India managed to drag the game till the very last minute - Dhoni was unable to put bat to ball and looked particularly uncomfortable against Siddle. Tendulkar, who was scoring at almost a run-a-ball, hardly found the strike.

The pressure was back on India and it was only when Tendulkar lifted Starc over the top and across the rope that some of the heat was released. But the Test match remained true to its nail-biting nature when Tendulkar scampered through for a non-existent single; David Warner ran in and found Tendulkar short of the crease.

Ravindra Jadeja, who has had a horrid time with the bat despite all his heroics with the ball, blasted two boundaries immediately to help India grab the momentum again.

Dhoni, who had looked all at sea against Siddle, came back to his own, smashing Starc for three boundaries in the 34th over of the innings as India crossed the line with ease at the end.

India now take Australia on for the fourth and last Test in New Delhi from March 22.

India paceman Ishant Sharma was fined 15 per cent of his match fee for gesturing towards the pavilion after dismissing Australian batsman James Pattinson during the third day's play in the fourth Test in New Delhi.

The demoralising whitewash at the hands of India seems to have shaken the Australian team to the core as stand-in captain Shane Watson said it will be a big challenge for them to recover from the reversal.